Haiti and the Civil War presentation

January 28, 2018 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Marvin T. Jones’s first large documentary project was Haiti’s stupendous fortress, the Citadel Henry (or Citadel Laferriere). Recently, he returned to Haiti to reconnect with his work and friends there. It apt that this talk with many images follows the visit.

The Civil War is sometimes called the Second Haitian Revolution. Pro-slavers feared Haiti, the enslaved and abolitionists found great hope from Toussaint Louverture and Haiti. This lecture details the actions of enslaved and abolitionists who were encouraged by the Haitian Revolution, Haiti’s own involvement in offering freedom to people of color, and why Haiti was so important to keeping alive the hope that all Americans would be free. Thousands of African Americans, including the grandfather of W.E.B. Dubois, emigrated there. American leaders who wrote and spoke of their admiration for Louverture include John Brown, Martin Delaney, Frederick Douglass, Charlotte Forten, William Lloyd Garrison, Prince Hall, John Mercer Langston, Wendell Phillips, Senator Charles Sumner, Denmark Vesey and David Walker.

Hosted by the Bethel Dukes Branch – ASALH (Association for the Study of African American Life and History) at the DC Public Library – Woodridge Branch 1801 Hamlin St NE, Washington, DC 20018.